Phoenix Call
by Shiruri-Nechan
Summary: Why did the mutagen mutate the turtles into humanoid form to begin with? Amber Jennings, a close friend of the O'Neil's, thought Project Renaissance had burned with the fire in the lab. What will she do when she finds that the legacy lives on, especially since she was the one who gave her DNA for the prototype mutagen? 2014 AU, rating for language/violence, no lemons.
1. Chapter 1: Project Renaissance

DISCLAIMER: I don't own TMNT or any of their characters. However, Amber is my Original Character, as I had thought she may be interesting to place in the universe somewhere. Happy reading!

Phoenix Call

Chapter 1 : Project Renaissance

"Let me just wrap this around your arm and...there. Now, can you make a fist for me?"

Hazel eyes looked away as the young woman made a fist and a needle was inserted into he arm. After the blood was drawn, a sigh of relief escaped her. She didn't care much for needles, but if Dr. O'Neil needed something for his research she would grin and bear it.

"Did it hurt, Miss Amber?"

Little April. Amber's eyes softened at the girl looking at the needle with huge blue eyes. A faint smile graced the young woman's face.

"Not that much, little one. Your daddy is very careful with sharp needles. Are you going to be very careful also? I don't want you to hurt yourself."

April puffed up. "I have the best Daddy in the world, and I'm going to be just like him when I grow up!"

Amber's smile grew bigger, and Dr. O'Neil laughed. "Perhaps it's time to tend to Splinter, April. Can you check and see if he has enough food and water while I get the supplies to clean his cage?"

April bounced on her heels and went to check on the rat, leaving the two adults with peace for a moment. Amber cast Dr. O'Neil a calculating look.

"Why did you need a genetic sample anyway?"

"The cure we're working on is intended for humans, so we need to make sure it bonds correctly to a human genome. It might take a few tries though, this type of research is a little hit-and-miss."

Amber mulled this over. "Perhaps inserting genetic code directly into whatever medium you decide to use would assist the bonding process?"

Dr. O'Neil flashed a smile. "All those brains, and you choose to be April's babysitter instead of my lab assistant."

Amber grinned. "Kids are where the future is. Speaking of, I should go help her clean Splinters cage now, if there's nothing else?"

The doctor shook his head. "No, I've drawn enough of your blood for my research, thank you. Be sure to eat something before you leave the lab. Can't have you passing out from low blood sugar and scaring April to death."

Amber nodded, then made her way into the larger area of the lab. April was holding Splinter, waiting for Amber to change the shavings in his cage. With practiced ease, Amber quickly changed to pan and April promptly returned the rat to his cage. Then April giggled.

"Do you think he'll eat a bit of our pizza?"

"I'm sure he will, but give him a small piece of crust. Cheese isn't good for rats."

April pinched off a bit of crust and poked it through to Splinter. Then it was time to go.

"April, don't forget your coat honey!"

"Yes, Miss Amber. Bye Daddy, see you when you get home."

"Bye Dr. O'Neil. I'll text you an update at the usual time."

"Ok, bye girls. April, be good. And Amber, thank you again for your input."

OoO

"Amber, on the way to the lab today, could you stop at the pet store and buy some turtles for the lab? Four should do, I think."

"Of course. I think April will enjoy the side trip. Just be prepared for your daughter to beg you for half the shop when we arrive."

Dr. O' Neil laughed as he hung the reciever up. He couldn't wait to tell the girl how her theory had given rise to the mutagen that was nearing completion. Maybe she would consider becoming an assistant part time after hearing how ground-breaking this research really was. After Sacks left, though. The curly haired young woman had a distinct distaste for his collegue, although she never could pin down why.

A little while later, April came hurtling into the lab.

"Whoa whoa whoa, April, calm down! I take it you enjoyed your trip to the pet store?"

April nodded and bounced as a familiar mess of golden brown hair and calm, even footsteps signaled the arrival of the other female. Carefully, Amber set the container down.

"I assumed baby turtles would be best for genetic research. Has Dr. Sacks already left for the day?"

Dr. O'Neil smiled. "Yes he has. He had another project across the city to take care of. April, why don't you see that the turtles are comfortable? There are four containers for them already set up in the main lab."

April squealed and ran off, leaving the adults smiling and shaking their heads. Then Dr. O'Neil cleared his throat.

"Miss Amber, your insight a few weeks ago has let us accelerate Project Renaissance at a startling rate. We're working on a prototype serum that will be able to cure all kinds of illness. Are you sure you want to pass up the chance to be a part of my lab team?"

Amber sighed, closing her hazel eyes for a moment. "My gut tells me I can't trust Dr. Sacks. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't be able to do my best work if I'm constantly feeling uncomfortable."

Dr. O'Neil nodded, a bit saddened by her refusal - again. But he could also understand her logic.

"Well, let's see about these turtles you brought us."

OoO

"We've been injecting the test subjects for weeks now, with no adverse effects to speak of. However, I suspect the genetic bonding may be slowed due to the difference in species."

Amber sipped her coffee while April lay asleep across her chest. Dr. O'Neil had come home late, and was excited about the progress the lab was making. Even though Amber wasn't technically one of his lab assistants, he always found her keen intellect helpful. She was probably the most observant 19 year old he had ever met.

"It's human genetic code. Are you sure it won't mutant the subjects in any way?"

Dr. O'Neil shook his head thoughtfully. "I would assume we would have seen something by now."

Hazel eyes sharpened. "But if it's slowed, then it may take more time to mutate. It's a variable that calls for close observation."

Dr O'Neil nodded thoughtfully, his mind in overdrive. "Perhaps I will stay a little later at the lab tomorrow, run some tests. Will you bring April by for goodnights if I'm not home by 9?"

Amber nodded, then passed the sleeping girl to her father before quietly slipping out the back and down the street a few blocks to her apartment. She had no idea what tomorrow had in store for her.

OoO

Smoke. Fire. Chaos. Someone had set the lab on fire while April and Amber were on their way up to see Dr. O'Neil. April had dashed off in the chaos, leaving a frantic Amber behind. It passed in a blur. Amber eventually found April safe, across the street from the building. She scooped her up and ran back to her apartment. They stayed at Amber's place crying that night, and that's where April's uncle found them the next morning passed out and clinging to each other.


	2. Chapter 2: 15 Years Later

Phoenix Call

Chapter 2: 15 Years Later

It was late, and one Amber Jennings was wrapping up her day at the store. Owning a small grocery store of her own was challenging, but after her late husbands tragic death a few years earlier, she had really thrown herself into her work. The result was a very friendly, and very successful cornerside store. Smiling, she grabbed her keys locked up before heading home. A short walk had her standing in front of her house. It wasn't small, but it wasn't huge either. She had a couple guest rooms for whenever April needed to crash, or when one of her employees was in a tight spot and needed a place to stay. Kicking off her work shoes, Amber flopped on the couch after grabbing a granola bar and glass of milk, and turned on the news.

Suddenly, a beating on the door woke Amber. _I must have fallen alseep again. I wonder who it is at this time of night..?_

Blearily making her way to the door, Amber pulled it open to reveal April, looking disheveled. Hazel eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. "What's up kiddo? Come on in."

"Ok, oh my God, ok. Do you remember Project Renaissance?"

OoO

"So, you're telling me that you saved the test subjects, released them in the sewers of New York, and now they're walking, talking, mutant turtles dispensing vigilante justice to the Foot Clan?"

"Yes."

Amber frowned and put a hand to her head. "I told your dad that there might be unforseen side effects to using a human genome on animals."

"So you believe me?"

"I believe in the possibility, yes. But it seems so unlikely that out of all people in this huge city that you would be the one to run into them."

"If I could show them to you, would you believe me then?"

Hazel eyes softened. "Of course I would April. Now, I think it's time for some rest."

After hearing the door to the guest room April always took for herself close, Amber reached into her bookself and pulled out a simple black volume. Taking it into the kitchen, she made herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the island. Inside were all her notes from Project Renaissance, as well as copies of Dr. O'Neil's notes. Hazel eyes glittered as they danced across the pages, formulating the possibilities.

OoO

"Aw man, bro come on! That was my last orange crush!"

Mikey gave sad eyes to Raphael, which made the rebellious turtle smirk a little. But as tough as he was, he DID have a soft spot for his youngest brother.

"There's more behind the fridge. Don't tell anyone, it's our secret."

Mikey's baby blues were almost as wide as his smile as he dashed off, leaving a smirking Raph.

"Hey guys, come here. I got some background info on the O'Neil chick from last night. You'll want to see this."

Donnie and Leo looked up as Raph and Mikey entered the lab. "What did you find on the hot girl?"

"Her dad was some sort of scientist who worked with Sacks before he died in a fire. This is her address-" Donnie pointed to a small dot on one screen "But this is where she's been the past 36 hours." Donnie pointed to the blinking red dot that indicated the tracker he had placed in the woman's phone when he wiped the pictures she had taken of them.

"It's a residential neighborhood. Maybe she's chilling with a friend."

"Maybe. But we should still probably see if she told this friend about us. We'll leave as soon as it's dark."

OoO

Karai knelt in front of the throne of Shredder. "My daughter, what news have you brought me?"

"There is a female aquaintance of the turtles. They met on a rooftop last night."

"Find her. Bring her here alive, as bait. We will choose our battlefield by making our enemy come to us."

Karai bowed low. "Yes, Father."

OoO

"Hey, I'm going down to the basement to practice. You want to pack these notes up and come with?"

April nodded, shoving the Project Renaissance notes back into the simple black binder and following the older woman downstairs. Amber changed into a loose fitting tank top and work out capris while April deposited the binder in a corner before moving to sit in front of Amber.

Amber breathed deeply, letting her mind roam as she went through her normal kata positions. April's eyes drooped, feeling peaceful watching the familiar routine. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass grabbed the attention of both women. Hazel eyes narrowed.

"April, stay behind me."

OoO

"We got Foot Clan activity, guys!"

Donnie's voice carried through the lair. Leo and Raph stopped mid-argument and quickly made their way to the lab. Mikey came in last, covered in flour.

"Mikey, no! Go wash that off before you come near my computer equipment!"

"What have you got, Don?"

Donnie turned back to the screen. "It looks like the Foot might be after that April girl. They've rallied at a point close to the house we've been watching, and appear to be breaking in."

Leo groaned. "They must have seen us talking to her on the roof."

"Or she's a Foot spy."

"I don't think they'd do this to one of their own. Guys, we gotta do something!"

"But Sensei would never -"

"We need to finish what we start. It should be dark enough, let's go."

OoO

When the turtles arrived, all was quiet. Too quiet. Silently, the turtles filed in through the same window the Foot had broken.

"Spread out. Look for anything that may be helpful."

Leo wandered into the living room. The bookshelf there had been destroyed, books laying everywhere like someone had been searching for something. "Hey Donnie, what do you make of this?"

"It looks like they were searching for something. Maybe whoever this friend of April's is has something they want."

"Guys," Mikey came in, looking like he was going to be ill, "There's a LOT of blood on the stairs leading to the basement."

That was all Raph needed to hear. He rushed down, looking for something to fight, but was brought up short by what he saw. There, in the middle of the bloody scene, was a middle aged woman with curly, golden-brown hair clutching a pair of sai not dissimilar to his own. It was clear she had been in a fight against overwhelming odds. Leo came down behind Raph.

"Donnie, get in here! She may still be alive!"

"Hey guys, check out what I found."

"What Mikey?"

Mikey had picked up a towel from a corner to help clean the woman up. Underneath was a simple black binder. He gave it to Leo. "Think this is what the Foot were after?"

"It could be. We'll look at it later. Donnie, how is she?"

Donnie hummed. "She's alive, but the Foot did a number on her. Nothing broken from what I can tell, but she has multiple lacerations that will need stitches."

"We should take her back to the lair until we can determine if she's a threat or not. If she is, we can take her on our own turf. If not, then it's not going to be safe for her up here with the Foot interested in her."

"Fair enough, but YOU get to be the one to explain this to Sensei."

OoO

Dark. Everything was dark, but Amber felt peaceful. She tried to remember what happened.

 _I was doing my katas, then...what?_

"MIKEY!"

 _Ugh, who was yelling? And who was Mikey? Did I fall asleep watching tv again..?_

"She needs rest, and I need to finish looking over these 'Project Renaissance' notes. It's fascinating! I think it may hold the answers to how we were born."

"Seriously?"

 _Project Renaissance...I remember that. So long ago though...I was looking through the old notes with April when...April!_

OoO

Donnie glanced over the woman's vitals, noting the spike in heartrate. "Hey, I think she's waking up!"

Thr turtles gathered around their mysterious guest. Master Splinter had taken one look at her and locked himself away in meditation, saying she was not an enemy. It didn't escape Leo's notice, however, that the rat looked like he had seen a ghost. Who was this woman?


	3. Chapter 3: Awakening

**A/N: Raph and Amber bonding moment in this chapter. I figured he'd be the secret momma's boy of the group.**

Phoenix Call

Chapter 3: Awakening

Amber calmed her breathing and assessed what she could with her eyes closed. The air was stale and felt damp. Maybe she was in the sewer? The air currents were shifting, indicating there were people around. Four, maybe five? Yeah, a fifth just came in. And if her nose was correct, the fifth individual had brought tea. She doubted the Foot would bring her tea, so the chances of her being a prisoner dropped dramatically at that. Cautiously, Amber opened her eyes, but she wasn't fully prepared for what she saw.

Big, baby blue eyes stared into her own hazel depths. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Guys, she's awaaaaake!"

"Give her some space, Mikey."

Amber closed her eyes and slowly, painfully, made her way into a sitting position before opening them again. Four mutant turtles and a rat with familiar brown fur met her gaze with a variety of reactions before the rat stepped forward.

"I am pleased to see you have awakened. Please, do not fear any of us Amber. You are safe here."

Amber blinked. "Splinter?"

"Duuuuude, she's totally a Jedi!"

Hazel eyes swept over the orange masked turtle. "Michaelangelo?"

Mikey's smile faltered. "Okay, that's a little creepy."

Eyeing the other three, Amber noted their mask colors. "Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo. But, where's April?"

Master Splinter shook his head sadly as he offered Amber a cup of hot tea. "She has been taken by the Foot."

Amber choked on her tea, coughing a bit.

"We found spent tranquilizer rounds, so clearly they wanted April alive. We intend to rescue her as soon as we find out where she has been taken."

Donnie shifted nervously. "Um, Miss? Would you be willing to answer some of my questions about this Project Renaissance?"

Nodding, Amber made herself comfortable with an extra pillow Leo offered and all the turtles gathered around her.

OoO

Humming, Amber absentmindedly used the hem of her shirt to wipe forgotten pizza crumbs off of Mikey's sleeping face. At some point during the Q&A, he had found a pizza hiding somewhere and eaten it before drifting off to sleep on the couch beside her. Feeling eyes on her, she turned her gaze toward Raph. Hazel met hazel as she motioned to the open spot on the couch next to her. Cautiously, the hotheaded turtle claimed the offered spot next to the woman Donnie had declared their 'mother'. After taking a small blood sample to compare against their own, Donnie had shut himself in the lab to run the tests. Leo had gone to meditate and digest this new information. Mikey was out like a light, and Raph knew from experience that his youngest brother slept like the dead. Which left him practically alone with the older woman.

He'd always wondered what it would be like to have a mom, but suddenly he was afraid inside. What would she think of him, of his temper? She wasn't what he had always pictured when he thought about a mom. Standing just over 5' 8", she didn't seem fragile or delicate at all. But, when he looked into her eyes, he recognized something similar to himself that disarmed any suspicions he had. She was as intelligent as Donnie, shared a similar sense of humor with Mikey, and was as calm and reserved as Leo. But where was he in the mix?

"What troubles you, Raphael?" Her voice was rich and calming, too.

"I...it's just..If you're our mom, why am I not more like you? You have shared traits with the other guys, but I don't see any in me."

"Is that so?" Amber looked curiously at her 'son'. "Tell me, Raphael, if there was an innocent person in danger would you save them?"

Raph scoffed. "Of course."

"And if your brothers were threatened, would you protect them?"

"Yes," Raph snapped, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

"There is our shared trait, son. A willingness to fight to protect and put the safety of others above your own."

"There are a lot of people that would do those things though."

Amber shook her head. "Perhaps, but not to the same extent. It seems you inherited my spirit. And apparently my inclination for the arts." Amber motioned to a large wooden carving in one corner Raph had been working on earlier.

Raph sat quietly as he thought about her words. He was shaken back to reality when he felt a warm hand on his arm. Looking up, he saw his mom smiling at him. "I never got to finish my katas the night the Foot attacked. Perhaps you would care to join me?"

OoO

Mikey woke up to an empty living room. Where was everyone, where was their new mom? Hopping up, Mikey went to grab a soda from the stash behind the fridge when he heard the sounds of what seemed to be fighting in the dojo. Curiously, he crept closer. Master Splinter would have awoken him if it was time for training. What he found surprised him.

There, in the middle of the room, Raph and Amber were going full tilt at each other, sais out in both their hands. Mikey panicked and went running into the lab.

"Donnie, Donnie, come quick! Where's Leo?"

"What the hell, Mikey? I'm running lab tests, this better not be something stupid like a stray cat or something! And Leo's in his room. What's so important?"

"OhmyGod, come on bro, we gotta get Leo! Raph's fighting Mom in the dojo!"

"What? She's going to tear her stitches out, what was Raph thinking? LEO! COME ON!"

Leo burst into the lab and Mikey and Donnie were exiting.

"Mikey, go get Sensei."

Leo and Donnie proceeded to the dojo, and were surprised. Raph had been disarmed, and Amber was offering him a hand up.

"That was good, Raph, but you let your guard down when you thought you saw an opening. A skilled opponent will notice this and fake an opening in order to overcome you. All of you should take note of this."

Raph's eyes widened as he peeked around Amber to see his brothers standing in the doorway behind her. "How long have you guys been standing there?"

"Long enough to see that you got your ass handed to you, bro. What was that?"

Raph looked away, shame filling his features. Amber was less than amused by Mikey's treatment of his brother, however.

"Michaelangelo, step into the ring and prepare yourself."


	4. Chapter 4: Imprisoned

DISCLAIMER: Don't own YouTube or TMNT. Wish I did, though.

Phoenix Call

Chapter 4: Imprisoned

April leaned groggily against the wall of her prison. She was a captive of the Foot following the invasion of Miss Amber's home. Sure, her old babysitter had fought desperately to protect them, but April was no fool. She had seen the amount of blood being spilt in the basement, seen her mentor fall under the blades of at least a dozen or more Foot ninjas. April had tried to toss some sort of weapons to Amber, but her aim was always off so she wasn't sure if they ever reached her. They had only seconds from when they had heard the glass breaking to when the room flooded with enemies. Even so, April refused to believe the older woman was dead. She was just too strong to die, she couldn't be gone.

"Awake, I see."

April turned to see Karai leaning in close to the bars of her cell, giving her a once over and clearly not impressed with what she saw. "Not much to look at. How did you come to know the vigilante freaks?"

"Why should I tell you anything? Where's Amber?"

Karai sneered. "We left your friend for dead. Unless you wish to meet her in the afterlife, I suggest you comply."

OoO

"I have a lead on where the Foot might be holding April."

The kitchen went quiet, all eyes now on Donnie. Amber wiped excess flour from her hands on the old apron she had found before she had started making pizza dough. Grasping Don's shoulder, she leaned over and studied the location he pointed to on the map. On the other side of the table, Leo nodded.

"Then we should investigate tonight. Be ready to go topside in thirty."

Amber looked at the clock and frowned. "Leonardo, that won't give me enough time to finish three pizzas. Why not wait an hour so we can all head out together?"

Leo shook his head. "No, Mom. I don't think you should come. Even though you can take us in the dojo, you still got hurt pretty bad the other night by the Foot."

"Yeah," Mikey piped up, "We just found you! We're so totally not going to give the Foot a chance to hurt you again so soon!"

The turtles all nodded in agreement at Mikey's outburst. Amber huffed, turning to work on the dough while the boys began planning. Listening carefully, she gently formed the pile of dough into three large rounds before gently brushing them with garlic oil and popping them in the oven to prepare the crust for saucing.

"Ok, so does everyone got the plan? Let's move! Bye Mom, we'll be back for dinner later!"

Amber smirked and played along. "Bye boys, be safe!" Yeah, like she was really going to stay here. _But,_ Amber thought, _I can at least finish these pizzas. It won't hurt to give them a head start._

OoO

"Ok, there's the facility. Anyone got any questions?"

"Yeah, have you seen this video of the cat playing chopsticks? Unreal!"

"Dammit Donnie, I told you not to show him YouTube. Put that up, Mikey!"

Turning from his brothers, Leo focused on the building again. From their vantage point, he could see several Foot guards patrolling the hallways. Suddenly, the building went dark and Leo frowned.

"Don, did you cut the power to the building already?"

"Not me. From my scan, it seems like something happened at the electrical box in the basement. I can't tell what though. Maybe a mechanical error."

Leo's eyes hardened. "Let's investigate then. We need to be prepared for anything."

Melting into the darkness, the brothers made their way through a lower window and then into the basement. Cautiously, they approached the electrical box. Mikey's eyes widened.

"Duuudes, check it out!"

Sticking out of the remnants of the box was a wooden practice katana. One with a familiar tassel hanging from the handle. Raph's eyes widened as he remembered his first conversation with their mother. _We share the same spirit, to protect those we consider family._ Cursing internally, he looked over Mikey's head at Leo.

"Mom's here."

OoO

April couldn't see a thing, it was so dark. The lights had gone out a few moments before, and Karai had left her to find out what was going on. She heard a quick scuffle farther down the hall, followed by light, familiar footsteps. A flashlight clicked on in front of her.

"Bingo. Hey kiddo, back up as far as you can. I'm bailing you out." April had barely done as asked before the sound of metal slicing metal rang through the room. Looking up, she saw Amber crouching low in the hall with a tonfa in each hand. She couldn't help the relieved smile that came to her face. "Come on, little one. I'll fan out the stink in this place while you get out. Don't go home, or to my place. Here, get into the sewers and press this button on my phone. Help will find you."

"But-"

"Go, I'll fight better knowing you're out of danger!"

April nodded and took the offered phone, knowing better than to push the argument with the older woman. Racing quickly to the window where a fire escape was, she saw it was clear and made her way down. _The sewers? Really? Well, here goes._

OoO

The turtles were quickly making their way up the building when their T-Phones suddenly began chiming and the screen went totally red. Donnie pulled up his screen and looked at Leo.

"It's from Mom's phone. She hit her panic button. According to the tracer, she's in the sewers a little ways from here."

"Think she already got April and the Foot followed them?"

"We should go look. All the Foot here have already had the shell beat out of them, and backup is a definate possibility."

As his brothers turned to head back down, Raph lingered. Mom wouldn't hit the panic button and draw his brothers into a fight any more than he would. _Still, it WAS Mom's phone that sent the alert._

Raph then noticed a pair of broken tonfa in a doorway down the hall. Quickly, he snatched them up and followed his brothers to investigate the panic call.


	5. Chapter 5: Into the Night

**A/N: Thanks to cartoon lover for being my first reviewer! To answer your question, it's a slight AU set loosely in the 2014 movie, but there may be elements of the series later on also. It's been a looooong time since I've seen the series, maybe 25 years give or take. But I did see the 2014 movie, and although I was less than impressed with the plot, the special effects were interesting. Explosions make everything cooler.**

Phoenix Call

Chapter 5: Into the Night

The night was dark, for which Amber was grateful. Heading quietly down another side alley, she paused to listen for any tell-tale signs of being followed. Satisfied that nobody was trailing her, she pushed on. She had broken her tonfa, and her arm, in the confrontation with Karai, but she had been able to knock the girl unconcious at least. _Not as young as I used to be I guess_ , Amber thought wryly. She wouldn't be able to navigate the ladders and sewer pipes with only one arm, so after forcing down her worries over April and her newest family members, she had taken to the shadows of the alleys. Pausing, she studied the payphone across the street. Maybe he would be awake. It was worth a try. Looping her arm through her soft green scarf like a sling, Amber dug around in her pocket for some change and approached the phone. Quickly, she dialed the familiar number and waited for him to pick up.

"Ugh, Hello? Who is this, and do you have ANY idea what TIME it is?"

"Yeah, love you too Eric. I need your help."

"My God, Sis! Where the HELL have you been? Everyone's been asking ME where you are. I went by your house and it looked like a war had been fought! Wait, you need help?"

Amber rolled her eyes at her older brother. "Yeah, I need help Sherlock. Can you come pick me up at our old playground?"

"Yeah sure - wahhh!" The voice on the phone changed. "Hello? Amber! OhmyGod, girl!"

Amber laughed a little as her brother wrestled the phone back from his wife. "I'll be there in ten."

"See you there."

OoO

"Looks like Mom might be running from something. She just turned down another tunnel guys!"

The turtles hustled, bursting into the tunnel with weapons at the ready and blinked. There wasn't a sign of life in the tunnel. "Donnie, thought you said she was here?"

"Tracker on her phone says she is. Mom? Where are you?" A squeak of surprise came from a small, shadowed alcove to their right. April emerged a moment later, still holding Amber's phone. Raph's eyes widened, then darkened. _Knew it._

April and the turtles stared at each other for a minute before Mikey piped up.

"Sup, girl? Hey, not that we're not glad to see you, but was our mom with you down here by any chance?"

April blinked. "Your mom?"

"Yeah, Amber. Remember her? Donated her DNA to this project thing the turned us into crazy turtle ninjas. You're holding her phone? Ring any bells?"

April shook her head. "She didn't come with me. She stayed behind to fight the Foot so I could escape." Suddenly, the phone in April's hand started ringing. Cautiously, April answered.

"Hey April, did my boys find you?"

"Yeah - what's all this about you being their mom? I missed something."

"We'll talk about it later. Put me on speaker so I can talk to everyone at once." April did as asked. "Boys, I want you to take April to the lair. It's not safe for her topside since the Foot got a good look at her face. The pizzas are in the fridge."

"Mom, where ARE you?"

"I'm making my way to a safe place, no worries. Now- HEY! GET OFF ME!" The sounds of a scuffle could be heard along with a male voice. Then the line hung up.

"Donnie, can you trace that call?"

"On it."

OoO

Amber glared at her brother. How damn dare he! Eric had taken one look at the rough state she was in and practically ripped her away from the phone and forced her into his car. Huffing, she cradled her broken arm and looked out the window.

"You're going to tell me how you got busted up so badly when we get to my apartment. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

"It would cause more trouble than it's worth. Joanie can set my arm when we get to your place."

Eric snickered. Sure, his wife was an ER nurse and would likely be able to set the bone, but Amber would get an earful from her sister-in-law about skipping the hospital. Pulling into the underground parking, Eric parked and opened the car door for his sister as she glared at him.

"Sorry Sis, but I figured I'd need to put the child locks on for you."

OoO

"Here, Mom called from this payphone right here."

"Fan out, search for clues."

"Hey guys, we got blood over here on the phone."

Donnie looked at it closely. "Looks like it may have come from a gash to the forearm. A deep one."

"But," April objected, "Amber was using her bladed tonfa. It would have protected her arms."

"Actually.." All eyes turned to Raph as he pulled the broken pieces of tonfa from his shell and held them up for the others to inspect. "I found them back at the Foot facility where they were holding April."

Leo looked pissed. "And you didn't say anything until JUST NOW?"

Raph looked away. "I was planning on fixing them for her."

"Are we even sure they belong to Mom and not some Foot ninja?"

"They do. Look," April pointed to a small, beautiful carving on the handle of the tonfa. It was a phoenix in flight. "She carves that into the wood of all her weapons so she can tell them apart from others."

While the others continued to bicker, Raph gently brush his fingers over the emblem. _We both enjoy carving wood._ His hazel eyes hardened, looking very much like Amber's in that moment. _I'll find you, Mom._

OoO

"There, she should sleep through the night." Joan pulled the covers up over her latest patient and made her way out of the den with her husband in tow. Depositing the extra gauze on the kitchen table, she poured them both a cup of coffee.

"What did you make of her story?"

Eric paused thoughtfully. "I remember the lab she talked about, but I never really went with her. I was in college, after all. But she's never been into alcohol or drugs, so I'm not sure. She wasn't delirious or anything?"

Joan shook her head. "No, and someone HAD stitched some previous wounds on her. It would explain why she didn't want to go to the hospital."

Sighing, Eric sipped his coffee. "It would explain everything, but it's so...so outlandish. If she wasn't my sister, I'd call the institution to come pick her up."

The sounds of thrashing broke the quiet. "Damn," Eric muttered.

Amber was having another nightmare. Her wails broke her brother's heart as the guilt of what happened all those years ago haunted him. Grabbing her hands, he held her gently in place while Joan quickly injected her with a strong sedative. Although she was sleeping, Amber's hazel eyes were open, wide and reflecting the terrors she was dreaming about. Eric put his head on hers and closed his eyes as a tear leaked out. "I'm sorry, Sis."


	6. Chapter 6: Deep in the Blood

**A/N: This is a dark chapter, but explains a chunk of Amber's history. Trigger content is implied, but like I have said before and will say again, I do not write lemony crap. There'll be fluff later in the chapter to make up for this. It's also been called to my attention that more detail and longer chapters would be appreciated. I'll work on that, but my main goal is to get all my thoughts organized and written before I run out of steam for the fic. Thanks for your patience :)**

Phoenix Call

Chapter 6: Deep in the Blood

The turtles and April trekked distraughtly towards the lair. They had decided to call it a night and April had agreed to stay with them for now. The search for Amber could continue in the safety of the underground. Donnie could hack hospital in-patient lists and see if she had been admitted at one, but for now the team needed rest. Reaching the lair, Mikey made a joke about Amber's pizzas, but it was only half-hearted and no one was really in the mood. Growling, Raphael stomped over to his punching bag. He felt so angry at not being able to find their mother. In a very short amount of time, she had become a part of their family and he felt especially close to her. Hit after hit after hit fell upon the already abused bag, making his brothers start to back away. An angry Raph was never a good thing.

Later, in the early hours of the morning, Raph decided to go to bed. He was exhausted, but he was still pissed and knew from experience that sleep wouldn't be easy. As he drifted off to sleep, he could have sworn he felt a tug in his chest. Unseen to anyone, a thread of spirit appeared to connect forlorn son and troubled mother. And Raphael was not prepared for the nightmares that followed.

OoO

Deep in the dark recesses of her mind, Amber curled into herself. She couldn't tear herself away from the horrible images replaying in her mind's eye. She was six again. She was so proud of herself in her new green gi. After two years of watching Eric learn martial arts, her mother had relented and allowed her to join him. A few weeks into her training, a gang called the Purple Dragons had attacked the karate studio during their class. Her sensei had ushered as many children to safety as he could, but being one of the smallest, Amber had gotten lost in the fray. She remembered how the Dragons leered at her in her thin leotard before forcing her to the ground and stripping her innocence from her. She had screamed, yelling and pleading for her brother and her sensei to help her. They found her on the dojo floor, battered and bloody and defiled. She had been barely concious, and flipped out when EMTs had tried to touch her.

The scene changed, and she was 14. She had gone to see her mom in her lab and maybe walk home together with her, but she planned to work late that night. Saying goodnight, Amber began making her way home slowly, enjoying the balmy summer air as the sun set on the city. Suddenly, the sounds of gunfire rang out into the peace of twilight, making her duck into a nearby alley. Squad cars flew past, heading the way she came. She ran the rest of the way home, and as she was about to open the door, Eric had burst through and grabbed her. Bewildered, she told him about the gunfire and police cars. Their grandmother had appeared in the doorway and gently led them both to the couch before telling Amber the news. The gunfire had been at her mother's lab. The Foot Clan had been sending her threats to stop her research, and made good on them.

"I never liked the Dragons or the Foot anyway, but now I have a real reason to bash their heads," came a growl from elsewhere in the darkness around her. Startled, Amber looked and saw Raph crouched next to her in the dark, glittering hazel eyes trained on the memories playing out before him. Reaching out, Amber grasped her son's arm, but she wasn't sure if she was comforting him or herself.

The darkness swallowed them and began to play a different scene. She was 17, and had just been presented with her own tonfa by her sensei. Eric had been proud of his little sister, as he had mastered his own weapon, a kusarigama, only earlier that year. On and on, he had told her all about the martial arts tournaments they should enter together over the phone. Focused on the conversation with her brother, she hadn't noticed the strange men watching her until they had grabbed her. She shrieked, dropped her phone, and struggled, but they were unnaturally strong, and dragged her with ease into the relative quiet of a side alley before making their way into an office building. There, she spent two weeks strapped to what seemed to be a lab table having God knows what injected into her system. But the worst part was when they needed to see if whatever it was worked. Thousands of tiny cuts would be made, very precisely, all over her body. Never deep enough to scar, but deep enough to feel. As always, there was never any sedative. Amber could feel the screams coming out of her throat as she watched again and again as the men went about their gruesome work with unnatural calm.

Somewhere in it all, Raphael had started screaming too.

OoO

"Raph! Raph, wake up bro!"

"Help me carry him to the lab guys."

Raph thrashed violently, screaming like Hell was coming for him. Leo shook him hard, telling him over and over to wake up. Mikey had dashed in and grabbed his sais from his belt so he wouldn't impale himself on them. April hid behind Master Splinter, looking terrified. As soon as they got Raph to the lab, Donnie started checking him over as the others held him as still as they could. He couldn't find anything physically wrong with his brother, but clearly he was sick. He was sweating, but felt so cold to the touch. And the inhuman screams. They were so pained and helpless, not like Raph at all. Suddenly, Raph's body went limp and the screams stopped. All eyes were on him as her groaned and struggled to sit up, rubbing his head.

"The hell happened?"

Leo put a hand on his brother's shoulder, noticing the uncharacteristic flinch. "That's what we'd all like to know. What were you dreaming about, Raph?"

Raph stilled and looked his brothers in the eyes, his hazel orbs looking decades older than they should, and drew a steadying breath. "Well, Mom was there.."

OoO

"Hey, how you feeling this morning?"

Amber turned tired eyes toward the door where Eric was leaning against the frame. "I'd be better if we could spar."

Eric sighed. "I know, but even with your incredible healing, you're not going to be able to for a couple more days until the bone heals. Joan would kill both of us."

"I know, I know, it's just I hate feeling helpless. Are you off today?"

Eric smiled. "I took the day off, yes. The chief understood that I was worried over my sister after her 'boyfriend' beat her. He said if we want to make an official report to come on down to the station, but I told him you were a martial artist and the 'boyfriend' probably looked just as bad if not worse."

"Thanks for keeping my secret." Her brother shrugged.

"They would have thought I was nuts anyway. Hell, it's a hard story to swallow, and if you were anyone but my sister, I'd think you were high on something."

Amber stretched. "Speaking of, I need to use your phone. I should call April and the boys and let them know where I am."

OoO

In the lair, Mikey was glumly heating up the leftover pizza from the night before. It smelled good, and he could imagine that Amber made it for them with love. She had taken the fact that they were mutant turtles in stride, saying it didn't matter and that family was family. Donnie had checked hospital in-patient records from the night before, with nothing to show for it. What if the Foot had captured her? It was clear from her phone call that some kind of fight had happened.

Donnie was still looking Raph over, worried about his older brother. How was it possible for Raph to enter into Amber's subconcious, and why had he not done so before now? He really needed to know what the Kraang had injected into Amber all those years ago, but he was hesitant to bring that subject up. It clearly upset Raph last night if the screams were anything to go by. He was still out on a cot in the lab anyway, Donnie had had to give him something to help him sleep but he still looked so tired.

In the meditation room, Leo drew deep, calming breaths but his mind was jumbled. He turned all the information that Raph had shared with them over in his mind. Their mom had been through so much, yet she remained a kind-hearted woman, accepting them like nobody else had. A burst of loud rock music from the direction of the living room caught his attention.

"Hey, Leo, Mom's on the phone with April!" Mikey's voice floated in the air and shook two of his three brothers from their thoughts. In a flash, they had converged in the living room with April and Mikey and crowded around the phone.

OoO

Blue eyes looked on in amusement as Amber fretted on the phone over her odd little family. Eric knew his sister had always wanted children, but had never been blessed. He imagined her welcoming four mutant turtle sons with little issue. And they seemed more than willing to protect Amber, which made them good in his book.

"Hey Eric, would you mind if they came here to pick me up tonight? I'd love for you to meet them."

OoO

Later that night, Amber was watching tv in the den when a noise at the window caught her attention. She had cracked it open when the sun had begun to set so when the boys arrived they would have a way in.

"MOM!" Mikey rushed over and buried his face in Amber's lap, crying in relief. The others followed in a more orderly manner, but soon Amber found herself being clung to by all three of her four sons. Raphael stood to the side of her, watching Amber reassure his brothers with haunted eyes. He tensed as a man came from the kitchen and leaned in the doorway, taking in the scene before him. The man met Raphael's questioning gaze, hazel meeting intense blue, and smiled gently.

"Amber, would you care to introduce your sons?"

"Yeah. Come on guys, I want you to meet my brother, your Uncle Eric. Eric, this is Michaelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael, or Mikey, Donnie, Leo, and Raph for short."

Mikey had gotten up from clinging to Amber to get unnecessarily close to Eric. "Cool, his eyes are as blue as Leo's!" His enthusiasm made Eric laugh. It reminded him of lighter times with his sister. Leo, on the other hand, was startled. No one had eyes like him, not even his brothers. It was Amber's turn to laugh. "That's the beauty of genetics, Mikey. You never know what you're going to get."

After a while, Eric had agreed to show the boys his kusarigama. Leo, Donnie, and Mikey were enthralled and followed their uncle to the living room, but Raph lingered behind. He jumped slightly when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. "What troubles you, my son?"

Raph turned to look at Amber, and she recognized the sadness reflected in his eyes. Leading him to the couch that occupied the den, she sat him down and put her arms around him as she would a small, frightened child and Raph broke. He cried, and Amber petted his head and told him everything would be alright, that all that happened a long time ago. They sat like that for who knows how long while Raph let go of his pent up emotions and Amber rubbed circles over his shell.

"How can you say it's ok, Mom? I saw what was in your nightmares like they were my own! It's not right for someone to suffer so much."

Amber hugged her second oldest son tighter. "I say it's ok because those experiences made me who I am today, and I choose to be stronger than what's hurt me in the past. It still haunts me sometimes, yes, but I'm not going to let fear control me." Amber paused, looking down at Raph comptemplatively. "I have some prayer beads that may help you from entering my dreams again. I usually meditate to keep the nightmares away, but with everything that's happened I haven't had a real chance to."

"How did Raph enter your dreams to begin with?" Donnie had made his way back into the den. Raph shot up from Amber's hug, trying to look tough. Well, as tough as her could with dried tears all over his face. Amber blinked at the sudden action, but dismissed it, turning to face Donnie instead.

"I've been able to enter the dreams of others since I was little. I can only assume that it's somewhere in my genetic code and Raphael ended up getting that particular alelle activated on the genetic locus. The talent would have lain dormant until he came into contact with a compatible consciousness. It CAN be trained, like any other skill, thank goodness."

OoO

"Master Shredder, there seems to be another, older human woman in aquaintence with the turtles now. They have been refering to her as their mother, of all things."

The Shredder's eyes gleamed maniacally. This was such an opprotunity to screw with the turtles, and he couldn't pass it up! He would relish her cries for mercy, for her sons to come save her. He would smile with glee over seeing their anguish as he slew their mother figure before their eyes.

"Bring her to me, alive."


	7. Chapter 7: A Mother's Love

**A/N: I'll admit, I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter. It's going to be helpful later in the story, but it was a little hard to describe how everything should be without making it come off like a Mary Sue moment. I want the characters to be believable, if odd. Don't hate.**

Phoenix Call

Chapter 7: A Mother's Love

"Geez, it really DOES look like a war was fought here." Amber shook her head at the chaos that littered her living room. Eric had already replaced the window, but the contents of her bookcase was still strewn around the living room. Leo put an arm around his mom.

"Don't worry, leave the mess to us. Consider it 15 years worth of missed Mother's Day presents. Go ahead and show Raph what you needed to show him."

Amber smiled at her eldest son, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek and making him blush. Donnie had already begun looking through her book collection, clearly fascinated, and Mikey was poking around in her kitchen. Shaking her head in amusement at her sons, she gently took Raph's hand and led him upstairs and down the hall to a set of beautifully carved double doors. Here, her favorite phoenix motif was repeated in it's fully glory. She allowed him a moment to study the intricately carved emblem before quietly opening the door. Inside was her personal paradise. Taking a deep breath of the familiar cotton and honeysuckle scent, Amber motioned for Raph to have a seat on her bed. She then went to her closet and emerged a moment later with a glossy, medium-sized wooden box. Smiling to herself, she let her hand trail over the clasp before opening the lid and sifting through the contents.

"Here, Raphael. These were mine when I was learning to control my 'ability'." Amber placed a dark gray set of beads in Raph's hands. They were surprisingly heavy for their size, making him look up from his seated position on Amber's bed questioningly. His mother smiled. "They're made of a special mineral called hematite. Hematite is a good medium for training, but you can use other things as you grow more comfortable." Cautiously, Raph lifted the strand of beads over his head and placed them around his neck. The fell into place, gently brushing his plastron in an almost comforting way. A sensation of calm came over the normally hot-headed turtle, the unusual feeling making him glance questioningly at Amber again. She laughed. "I've had them so long that they've been practically infused with my energy. If you use them enough, they'll become as much a part of you as your sai."

Amber took a seat facing her son and took his hands into hers. "Now, I know Splinter said all of you boys are required to meditate as part of your ninja training, but have since you're coming into a new ability I want to be here to guide you through it. Close your eyes and clear your mind, but open your heart also." Raph did as asked, and a few moments later Amber squeezed his hands lightly. "Ok, now, do you feel anything different?" Raph furrowed his eyebrows.

"It feels like _something_ different is running through me, but I can't tell what."

Smiling, Amber pressed his hands together between her own and concentrated. Raph's eyes snapped open as he felt another sensation within in, poking and prodding, gentle but curious. Seeing that Amber still had her eyes closed, he quickly closed his again and concentrated on where the prodding was. It felt warm, and flowed in and out of the contact points where his hands met Ambers. Cautiously, he tried to send a curious poke at the strange energy, making his mother laugh.

"There you are. Keep going, Raphael."

OoO

"Leo, they've been doing this thing for _hours_! I'm soooo bored, man!"

Leo frowned at his youngest brother. "Mikey, it's important for Raph to get a handle on this whatever it is so he doesn't wake the rest of us in the middle of the night with his screaming. Why don't you go do a perimeter check with Donnie? The sun set a little while ago, and we need to be vigilant."

"What about you, bro?"

"I'm going to stay here just in case something happens."

Leo watched Mikey and Donnie make their way into the night before resuming his watch. The clean up had gone somewhat smoothly, after dragging Donnie away from the books and making Mikey quit snooping around. The blood in the basement had been the most difficult part, mainly because they still couldn't be sure how much oth it was from Foot Ninja and how much was actually their mothers. It drove home to the three boys just how close they had been to losing Amber, and never knowing a mother's love. Leo sighed. He felt slightly jealous that Raph was getting most of Amber's attention at the moment, but her knew his younger brother needed her help badly. He was sure their mother loved all of them. That's what moms were about, right? Leo sighed again, these thoughts weren't going to get him anywhere.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs made Leo turn. _Raph looks a lot calmer than usual_ , Leo thought before smirking inwardly. A confident smile glowed on his brothers face, letting him know in no uncertain terms that Amber had praised his progress before ending the lesson. Amber herself looked tired, but pleased, and she smiled when she saw Leo. "Thank you, my son, for being patient during your brothers lessons. And thank you for doing such a wonderful job cleaning the house. I appreciate it. Where are Donnie and Mikey?"

"They're making a quick patrol. It's the least we could do for our mom. You're trying to do so much for us, after all."

Amber lightly tugged Leo's bandana. "You're my family, of course I'm going to do everything in my power to help. Eric's even agreed to keep an eye on my store for a couple weeks while I'm helping train you guys." Leo blinked.

"Wait, you mean you want to train all of us?"

Amber laughed gently. "Yes. Although Raphael has the most potential to use the extra sense," Raph puffed out slightly in pride, making Leo roll his eyes, "ALL of you should be able to use it to some extent. It's useful to ninja. Now, will you boys help me load up a few things in the Shellraiser?"

Mikey and Donnie entered as Amber was about to descend the stairs to her basement dojo. She smiled at Leo's enthusiasm as he brought his brothers up to speed on what they had been talking about. Raph simply followed behind Amber quietly, prayer beads clinking softly. The sound made his mother chuckle. "You won't be able to sneak around with those on. We'll need to find an alternative for when you need to be silent." Opening a storage case, Amber shuffled the contents around until she smiled and pulled out a simple pair of dark gray sai. Handing them to Raph, she explained, "These are made of hematite. They should be just as strong as your other sai, but better at helping your control. What do you think?"

Raph had no words, the sai had him spellbound. True, they were simple in design but after the hours of spiritual 'practice' he had just ran through, he could feel this pair of sai calling him. Amber gave him a knowing look, but said nothing. She turned instead to sift through the other weapons she had in storage, thinking of her other sons. In quick succession, she passed out a Bo staff, a pair of nunchucks, and a pair of katana, all inlaid with several pieces of hematite and beautifully made. Digging a little deeper and shoving other weapons aside, she found a spare pair of tonfa for herself and turned to face her sons. They were all looking over the new weapons with great curiosity and enthusiasm, Mikey most of all.

"Aw, yeah bros! We're going to be shiny metal shadow ninjas, fool!" Mikey had started swinging his new nunchucks around, but didn't account for the extra weight of the mineral which threw his balance off. He ended up smacking Raph in the face. Baby blues went wide.

"Sorry, Raph!"


	8. Chapter 8: Into the Storm

**A/N: Muahaha, I'm evil :) In response to at least one of your questions, miceaholic, when Raph woke up and spilled the beans about his dreams to his brothers, they all assumed it was the Kraang from the unnaturalness of it all. Not saying it is or isn't, but that's what was assumed by them. As for the rest, well, you'll see in a bit. Promise. I'm off this weekend, so I should be grinding out chapters in quick order if nothing comes up. Enjoy!**

Phoenix Call

Chapter 8: Into The Storm

Karai smiled as she exited the Shredder's audience chamber. Placing bugs in the dwellings of all of New York City's police force had been a tedious job some years ago, but it was her pet project and it was finally paying off. Officer Eric Jaquard and his family would suffer for sheltering the turtles, and her favorite pastime of harrassing the cops would be allowed to continue in peace for a while longer. Meeting her second-in-command at the door, she couldn't help the enthusiasm that crept into her voice as she handed him a dossier.

"Capture this target, bring her to the stronghold on the west side. Be sure to alert her," Karai sneered, "family that you have someone important to them."

OoO

Amber and April laughed as they walked back to the lair, arms laden with groceries and other necessities. Leo and Raph had protested the strongest, saying it would be better to wait until darkness came over the city so they could at least escort them, but Amber would have none of it. She was a fully trained kunoichi and she could protect herself and April if need be. Splinter had backed Amber's argument, saying to had been too long since the boys had had a good round of randori training. Raphael had lingered behind his sensei and brothers, giving his mom a quick hug and blushing when she put her lips to his cheek in reassurance. April had raised an eyebrow, but let it go without comment. She figured 'tough guys' were weird like that.

The pair arrived at the manhole closest to the lair, struggling for a moment to lift the heavy metal lid. April then slid down and waited while Amber passed the several bags from their excursion down to her. On the last bag, Amber's phone went off and she rolled her eyes.

"Probably the guys wondering where we are." Yanking the offending device from her pocket, she answered without even looking. "Hello?"

"Amber, I need your help. Meet me at my place." And the line went dead. The brunette frowned worriedly before handing the last grocery bag down to April. "I have to go. Can you call one of the boys to help you with the bags?"

"Where are you going?"

"Eric needs something. I'll be fine, promise. I've dealt with scarier things than my brother's freak outs. You should be safe in the tunnels, and I'm going to slide this cover back over you. Promise me, April Kay, that you will call the guys?"

April sighed, promising to do as asked before taking the last bag and letting Amber cover the manhole. Setting her burden down, she called Leo.

 _"Hello, April? Something happen?"_

"Yeah, Amber got a call and had to dash off to see Eric. Can you guys come help me carry the stuff back to the lair?"

Leo paused. _"Sure, we'll be right there."_

OoO

Amber darted through the shadows, stopping at her house on the way to Eric's to grab a weapon from her cache. She had pouted when she realized that the spare tonfa she had taken to the sewers were her last pair, and she had left them there for Raph to look at as he tried to fix her other pair. Instead, she had grabbed a plain black tessen. It wasn't her favorite weapon, and she hadn't quite mastered it, but it would have to do. Everything else was just to much to carry through the streets of New York without drawing attention. She also wasn't sure that she needed to show up at her brothers door with weapons blazing, he hadn't said what was wrong after all, but his tone had set her on edge. Slipping out the door and locking it, Amber melted back into the night.

OoO

A bead of sweat slid down the back of Eric's neck as he waited for his sister to arrive. The knife at his throat kept him from reaching to wipe it, however. The Foot ninja had appeared suddenly while he and Joan had been enjoying a rare movie night together. He had tried to grab his kusarigama and protect his wife, but he was badly out of practice. As much as he enjoyed martial arts, he didn't have his sister's passion for it. The Foot had forced him to call her, to ask her to come. He hadn't wanted to, but at his initial refusal, Joan had borne the brunt of the ninjas fury. She now lay motionless in the floor of the den, and Eric prayed she was still alive. A knock at the door made his blue eyes go wide. _Please, don't tell me you came alone._

OoO

"It's been _hours_ , bros! What could he have possibly wanted that would take so _long_?" Mikey was clearly getting cranky, and it grated Raph's nerves as he continued to punch his overly-abused punching bag.

"Shut up, Mikey. You think you're the only one that wants her to come home already? Just go to bed and spare us your whining!"

"Leo, do you think we should go check on her?" Leo glanced at the clock. 10:35pm.

"If she hasn't called or come back by 11, we'll head over and see what's up."

OoO

Eric looked at the figure chained next to him on the floor. Soft brown curls cascaded over the bruise forming on her forehead. She had seen red when she had saw what was happening in his apartment and fury had guided her actions instead of forethought. The Foot had taken a beating, but they had a plan and eventually overcame his little sister. Now, they were both captives but still alive. _Bait, most likely,_ Eric thought wryly before glancing at Amber again. _And she's gonna be SO pissed when she wakes up._


	9. Chapter 9: Fallen

Phoenix Call

Chapter 9: Fallen

Four grim-faced turtles leapt gracefully over the rooftops of New York, full of deadly intent. Shredder and the Foot would pay for what they had witnessed tonight.

They had arrived at their uncle's quietly, looking for anything amiss. It had been dark inside, but when Donnie shined a flashlight through the window of the den, hell had broke loose. Raph shattered the window, Donnie rushed over to look at the petite blonde laying unconcious in the floor, and Mikey and Leo had swept the rest of the apartment to survey the damage. At one point, Joan had woke up, seen four giant talking turtles, and promptly passed out again. Donnie guessed it was just too much at one, since she had been at work the first time they had come over. They had agreed to drop her off in front of a neighbor's, beating on the door like Hell was coming and quickly leaping into the night before they were spotted.

Other than Joan, they had found signs of a stuggle throughout the place. Eric's kusarigama lay off to one side of the living room, bearing several new scratches and dents, and a black war fan had been imbedded into a cabinet in the kitchen. There was no signs of either Eric or Amber.

OoO

"Master Shredder, our 'guests' have arrived and been made comfortable in cell block D."

Shredder nodded, "Begin your interrogation then. Report to me when it's done."

Karai bowed. "Yes Father." She then exited the room and made her way almost lazily to her new 'friends'. Nodding to the guards to open the cell door, Karai sauntered in and met Eric's cobalt gaze.

"What do you want with me and my sister?"

Karai backhanded him, splitting his lip. "I ask the questions here. Where are the turtles hiding?"

"Like I'm telling you anything! Go screw yourself." Karai punched him in the stomach, making him double over.

Several hours later, a frustrated Karai left the siblings alone again. Eric was barely hanging onto conciousness as Amber started stirring.

"Amber, wake up."

"Waahh...Five more minutes..."

"Amber!"

"Hmmm..?"

"I just got the shit beat out of me, would you wake the fuck up?"

Amber's head shot up, making her vision swim and a groan escaped her. "The hell happened?"

"You attacked in anger, and we got captured by the Foot."

Hazel eyes held a dark fire as they met icy cobalt. "You can't fucking blame me for this. YOU called ME, knowing I have a quick temper where this kind of shit's concerned."

Eric closed his eyes. He hadn't meant to snap and lash out at his sister. "I'm sorry, Sis. I'm just worried about Joan. She wasn't moving when we got dragged away. And I was worried about you too, you got knocked out cold. Why did you have a tessen anyway instead of your favorite playthings?"

Amber shrugged as much as the chains would let her. "It would have been to much of a delay to retrieve them, so I stopped by my place and grabbed what I could. If I had known what was going down, I would have grabbed something else."

Eric tried to sit up a little better, wincing. Yeah, he was sure now he had some broken ribs. It was times like this he envied Amber. Whatever weird shit she had gone through in their teens had altered her DNA somehow and given her almost miraculous healing potential. Bones would mend in days, and minor cuts in hours. Joan had always been impressed by her speedy recovery times.

"Hey Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you call a pig that does karate?" Eric glared at his sister for the double-edged joke.

"Dunno, what?"

"A pork chop!"

Eric groaned. "You crack that one because I'm a cop?"

Hazel eyes gleamed mischeviously. "No, I cracked that one because your my brother."

"Bullshit."

"I could crack a donut joke."

"I'll pass."

OoO

Raph looked out over the sparkling light of the city and sighed. Upon returning to the lair, he and Leo had gotten caught up in another argument and Raph had left the lair to cool off. It had been a while since they'd had a real blowout, but the stress of the evening had caught up to both turtles and tempers flared.

Dropping into his meditation pose, Raphael decided to try out his new skill. Amber had ran through the basics with all of them, but she had said he had the most potential, right? He took the prayer beads from his belt pouch and concentrated on them, feeling more at peace to be doing something that could be useful. He slowly let the world around him fade until it was only just at the edge of his senses. In and out, his breathing steadied as he let the energy mix with Amber's in the beads. It wrapped around his in a comforting way before pulling him deeper into meditation. He couldn't resist the pull, couldn't reason with it. He felt the world around him tumbling until it finally stood still. It showed him a small concrete cell, barely lit and filthy. He swept hazel eyes over to his left and saw Eric chained and battered, but smiling, on the floor and looking at some point behind him. Slowly, worried about what he would find, Raphael turned and there was Amber. Several cuts and bruises decorated her person, from what he could see, but her eyes held fire and hope. She had been chained down like her brother, and they seemed to be talking, joking, but Raph couldn't hear anything. He couldn't tear himself away as Karai stormed in the doorway, armed with a taser and a wicked-looking knife and began shouting. Karai then tased Eric, goading his mom into fighting against the chains that held her. He watched horror fill Amber's face as Karai started slicing the knife into her brothers flesh. Karai paused and asked a question, and returned to her gruesome work when Amber refused to answer. This only infuriated Amber, and she tried to jump at Karai again, only to recieve a vicious backhand with the knife. Raph stared with eyes wide in rage. Karai had slashed his mom across the face, and as the blood dribbled down her face and pooled in front of her in the floor, he could feel something shaking him...


	10. Chapter 10: Scattered Ashes

**A/N: Looking over my story, I noticed that I'm going at a pretty fast pace timeline-wise. I'd like to apologize if this bothers anyone, but I don't plan on slowing any. :P**

Phoenix Call

Chapter 10: Scattered Ashes

"RAPH! Can you hear me?" Raph snapped his eyes open and flipped backwards, drawing his weapons and coming down in a low defensive pose as he assessed what had disturbed his meditation. It was Donnie. Raph put his sai away and stood normally. Donnie kept an eye on his older brother as he pressed a button on his phone. Leo picked up.

 _"Donnie, did you find him?"_

"Yeah, but something weird happened."

"Donnie, tell him to meet us back at the lair. I got information on Mom."

OoO

"Leave my brother alone, you sick bitch!"

Amber had caught a second wind some time ago, and even though her face hurt fiercely, she knew it would heal soon. Karai paused, turning toward the yelling woman thoughtfully.

"You could save your brother if you'd only give me the information we seek."

"No Sis, don't!" Karai tased Eric again, making his words of strength to his sister turn into screams of anguish. Amber gave Karai a heated murderous glare.

"Forget it," Amber spat venomously, "I'm not giving up my sons' safety."

Karai hummed thoughtfully before turning to her subordinates. "Cage them separately. They seem to draw too much strength from each other. Has our recon squad delivered the message to the turtles that we have their mother yet?"

Amber's eyes went wide as she processed what Karai had asked. _NO! If they know, they'll come and fight and possibly get hurt or captured. Guys, don't!_

OoO

"Raphie? I believe you."

Raphael swung his gaze to meet Mikey's. He had just gotten through telling his brothers what he had seen as he meditated. It had started an argument between Leo and Donnie, Leo just blowing it off by saying it was a dream Raph had while he was dozing and Donnie saying more testing was necessary before counting the possibility out.

"Leo, she isn't completely human, at least not any more. Remember when I took a sample of her blood to compare to ours? I ran other tests against April's. The genetic allele she carries - one we ALL carry, I might add - comes from the Kraang. I'm not sure what they were trying to accomplish, but there are bound to be side effects from the genetic splicing!"

Raph shoved Donnie against the wall. "How long have you known all this and not thought to tell us?!"

OoO

It had been weeks. Karai had noticed, of course, how fast Amber healed from her injuries and gained Shredder's permission to move her into a lab for further testing. To Amber, it was like being 17 all over again. She faded in and out of conciousness, and while she was awake her thoughts always seemed to turn to her sons. Were they safe? She hoped so, and that hope was the only thing keeping her beaten spirit from breaking right now. Every now and again, she imagined she could just barely sense her son's energy, poking and searching. She never answered it, not wanting them to know where she was in an effort to keep them safe. It was times like that, when Amber had the most fight, that Karai had her fun, telling her how she might kill each of her children in front of her in gory detail. Then, Amber would retreat into her mind again, blocking out everything around her until another brush of spirit against her own would wake her up.

"I have news for you, Amber." Dull hazel eyes met Karai's with resignation. "We've managed to destroy your sons."

"Bullshit." Amber's voice was raspy and raw still from her last screaming fit. Karai smiled, holding up a battered red bandana with the kanji for family marked on it.

"We took this off one of the turtles. Does it look familiar to you?"

OoO

The atmosphere in the turtles lair was dull. Training had been half-hearted, and even their normal pastimes held no enjoyment. Raphael locked himself away in his room more and more, to carve and meditate. When Leo had tried to see his newest carving, Raph had reacted violently, shoving his older brother against the concrete and nearly cracking his shell. They all left Raph alone after that, only bothering him when necessary.

Raph growled at the beads in his hands. Why wasn't it working? He had been trying to meditate like he had been on the roof the night his conciousness had been pulled to Amber's side, but it was like something was blocking his attempts. He had even tried going back to the same roof, but all he managed to do was lose his bandana in a strong gust of wind. He hadn't bothered to replace it yet. Not like anyone in the lair didn't recognize him without it.

Sighing, he decided to try again. Dutifully, he relaxed and let his energy flow into the beads and mix with what little was left of Amber's. A frantic pulling sensation made him furrow his brows. _Mom's energy is NEVER panicked like this._ Suddenly, like before, the world around him disappeared and he saw his mom all of a sudden. Hazel eyes swept over the scene in growing rage. Amber had been strapped to a lab table, dozens of tubes feeding in and out of her, and Karai hovered over her. In her hands, she held something familiar. _My bandana!_

Amber was screeching, her rage blind and mixed with sorrow and defeat. Raphael was going to enjoy bashing the heads of every Foot ninja in his way to get to his mother's side. A door opened, and Raph smiled. He could see the skyline of New York peeking through a window as Karai conversed with her subordinate. He had found where their mom was.

A rough shaking brought him crashing back into his room to find baby blues staring at him, searching his eyes hopefully.

"You found her, didn't you bro?" Mikey sat carefully beside his tempermental brother. Raph looked down.

"Yeah, but she's in a bad way Mikey. Are Leo and Donnie still fighting about what to do?"

"Yeah, bro. It's like that longest fight any of us have ever had, dude! But really, I think Leo's just jealous that you're better at this 'spiritwalking' Jedi stuff than he is."

Raph's eyes hardened. "He'll just have to get over it, won't he? I'm going, tonight."

Mikey nodded. "I'm with you, bro."


	11. Chapter 11: The Flight

Phoenix Call

Chapter 11: The Flight

Amber couldn't believe it. _My boys can't be gone._ Karai had left the bandana on a table where Amber could see it, silently torturing her with every flutter it made as the air conditioning kicked on and off. She closed her eyes as her spirit finally burned out, exhausted from the weeks of trying to stay strong and blocking Raphael's attempts to locate her. She had felt a rush of his energy when Karai had brought his bandana in, but she figured he'd had it so long that it was similar to her prayer beads. It simply retained a small amount of his personal energy. She couldn't feel it now, but it was a good 10 feet away and she just wasn't up to the task of stretching her energy that far to check it. The door opened, and Karai entered with a fresh knife. Cut after cut was carved into Amber's body, but she no longer screamed. She simply looked blankly ahead, too broken and uncaring to react.

She had failed to protect her family and she felt so _lost_.

OoO

"I still think you just dreamed this, Raph."

"You'll see, and I tell ya what - If I'm wrong, and I know I'm not, I'll clean the dojo for the next week."

Leo smiled ever so slightly. "You're on."

The group ran a little farther until Raph signaled for them to stop. "That's the place."

Donnie flipped his glasses down. "Scanning...Well, it IS a Foot building at least guys. Looks like the labs are on the 5th floor."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "What's the easiest way in, Donnie?"

OoO

"Karai, I hate to interrupt, but we have trouble on the second floor. It's _them_!"

Karai looked at her subordinate and nodded before ramming the knife she had been using deep into Amber's shoulder. Amber reacted with a small yelp that made Karai smile.

"Let's leave then. We've taken enough samples from her to study. Grab them and set her on fire. I must return to my father."

Amber closed her eyes as the ninja doused her in some sort of fluid. So this was how it was going to end, she mused. A small piece of her found it ironic that she would be set aflame like the phoenix she adored. But there'd be no glorious flight for her, only death and the eternal quiet afterward. As the ninja neared her with a small blowtorch, she thought she could hear the sounds of battle coming down the hall towards them. Then the flames engulfed her.

"NOOOO!"

OoO

The turtles hustled up the stairs. Leo had let Raph take the lead, he knew his younger brother needed this as an outlet for his pent-up anger. He really wasn't leaving much for them to fight, so Leo, Donnie, and Mikey stuck to watching Raph's back. When they finally reached the 5th floor, Raph surveyed the dozen or so Foot before him with deadly intent before jumping at them with a war cry. Leo came up with him, swords flashing through their enemy with effeciency. Donnie and Mikey dealt with the ninja that had made their way up after them on the stairwell, and the sounds of the fight echoed down the hall. Raphael had started ripping open doors and looking as he raced by, intent on finding his mother. Leo followed at a more sedate pace, dispatching any threats that emerged from the doors his brother opened.

"NOOOO!"

The brothers all looked up at Raph's heart-wrenching cry. His look of shock turned to pure rage, and he leapt into the lab he had just opened. He fell upon the Foot ninja there with a furious snarl that made his brothers shudder. Cautiously, they peeked in. Leo gasped as he caught sight of a lab table on fire, but what disturbed him was the human shape of it and the familiar soft green scarf fluttering from it. It couldn't be..

"Mom...We failed, guys. We were too late." Raph slammed his fists on the floor as he cried openly in front of his brothers. Leonardo knelt quietly beside his brother, lending him his strength.

OoO

The heat of the flames covered Amber completely, but the roar of the fire was punctuated by a snarling and the sound of flesh being torn open. Amber wondered vaguely if it was her own skin splitting open, like a weenie in the microwave. She figured it didn't really matter before darkness engulfed her again.

Amber seemed to float gently, without any real sense of direction. She opened her eyes, mildly surprised to find herself in the middle of a sunny lake. The temperature was perfect for a day in the water, and on the bank she could make out a picnic table under a big shade tree with a basket on it. Curious, she swam over lazily, enjoying the feeling of the cool water rushing over her. As she approached the shore and sloshed through the shallow water, she noticed a figure walking steadily her way. A figure she hadn't seen in two decades.

Her mother.

OoO

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

The turtles took turns keeping watch over a badly burned, middle-aged woman in the medical wing of Donnie's lab. Mikey had found a mop bucket full of water to put out the fire on Amber before it consumed her, but she had blacked out already. She hadn't woke up in a week, even her normally speedy healing seemed to be taking it's time. Eric had been rescued with her, and Mikey and Leo had dropped him off in front of a hospital while Raph and Donnie made a mad dash back to the lair with their mom.

Splinter had tried his best to soothe his sons, saying she needed to recover both physically and spiritually from her ordeal. He didn't, however, mention that she was on the fence and could go either way.

 **A/N: Hmmmmm, will Amber choose the safety of her mother from the past or the love of her sons in the future?**


	12. Chapter 12: To Rise Again

Phoenix Call

Chapter 12: To Rise Again

Amber sipped her tea and looked out over the lake. Her mother had explained that she could stay here, lay down her pain and trouble and die. As much as she hated it, she had to admit this place was nice, and it soothed her. But, another part of her was screaming to fight for life, to claw her way back to the pain, that she still had things to do. She glanced at the woman enjoying her own cup of tea beside her.

"Mom, not that I don't love being here with you, but how do I go back? I have four teenage sons that need me, not to mention Eric."

Her mom laughed. "I understand. Give my love to them, will you? Now, close your eyes."

 _I'm coming, my sons. Don't count me out yet. I'll rise from my ashes again and again for you._

OoO

 _Beep. Beep. BeepBeep. BeepBeep. BeepBeep._

Raph's haunted eyes stared at the heart monitor. Could she finally be waking up? "DONNIE!" The roar from his elder brother brought Donnie to his feet and beside him in seconds from the other side of the lab. Chocolate eyes glimmered hopefully as they met Raph's.

"Looks like she's trying to wake up. I'll get the others."

OoO

Amber closed her eyes as her mom hugged her one last time. "Stay safe. I don't want to see you here again until you're an old woman, young lady." Smiling, Amber nuzzled her mom as she felt a warm sensation creeping over her.

Back at the lab, the turtles stared as a soft glow enveloped their mom. It seemed to caress her, healing her burns and the deep wound in her shoulder in a matter of minutes.

"What's happening, guys? What is that?"

"No, Mikey don't -" Mikey gently poked the glow. It brightened, almost like it recognized him, before flowing around him also. Baby blue eyes widened.

"I can hear her."

Unsure, Leo put a hand cautiously on Amber's arm and the glow reached out to him also. Mikey was right, he could hear Amber saying something but couldn't make it out. "Donnie?"

"I don't have any explanation for ANY of this. I really don't. How do you feel?"

Leo thought for a moment. "Warm, and calm, and Mikey's right. I can hear Mom, but I can't make out what's being said."

Raph and Donnie looked at each other before reaching out to each take a soft ivory hand in theirs.

A rich laughter seemed to bubble up from Raph's chest, confusing him for a moment. Then he realized the laughter was distinctly feminine. It was Amber.

 _I'm coming, my sons. Don't count me out just yet. I'll rise from my ashes again and again for you._

The glow seemed to dissapate around the brothers, drawing itself into Amber's skin. With a gasp, her eyes popped open. Her normally hazel eyes were a shining golden orange, like there was fire sparkling and cracking behind them. As Raph watched, they cooled and changed until hazel met identical hazel once more before Amber closed her eyes again.

"Let's let her sleep, guys."

OoO

Amber groaned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She felt incredibly well-rested, but waking up wasn't an activity she particularly enjoyed. Opening her eyes, she looked over and saw Leonardo studying her carefully. She smiled and offered him a hand.

"Leonardo, what troubles you?"

Leo almost laughed. Here she was, going through a major ordeal, almost dying, because he couldn't put away his stung pride and listen to his brother, but she was worried about _him_? He was a _failure_ , and because of his pride he had let her be hurt. Leo blinked as he felt a warm hand on his face and looked up. Amber had sat up and was looking at him, no looking _into_ him. He felt the warmth from her hand radiate through him.

"Leo, it's alright. It's true, you should always listen to your brothers input, but a wise leader does not take unnecessary risks. Learn to temper your pride, my son. You did not fail, the fault is mine. I kept Raphael from discovering where we were being held for a solid three weeks, blocking every attempt he made to find me spiritually. I did not want you boys to put yourselves in danger for my account."

"Why not?"

Amber smiled and pulled her eldest son into a hug. "Because we are a _family_ , Leonardo, and you boys are my _sons_. I would gladly trade my life for any of yours. Now, let's go see about your brothers, shall we?"

OoO

Amber smiled from her place in the kitchen as she took a steaming pot of chicken and vegetable stew off the stove and gently dipped out six bowls, topping them with cheese. As she finished the last bowl, the boys came in, tired from the extra randori Master Splinter had put them through. Mikey perked up at the sight of food.

"YEAH, BROS! DINNERTIME!"

Amber quickly picked up her bowl and another, which she handed to Splinter, before the boys descended on the food like a pack of wolves. She took in the scene with amusment, and when her eyes met Raph's he slowed down and tried to show that he DID have some manners. Mikey let out a loud belch, then grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

"This is pretty good, Mom."

Amber smiled as Donnie slurped another chunk of carrot down. "Thank you. I learned the recipe from my mother before she passed. She always said it carried her love with it."

Later, as Amber was cleaning up and the others had wandered off, Raphael made his way back into the kitchen with a bundle under his arm. "Mom?"

"Yes, Raphael?"

"I, uh, I have something for you."

Turning from her work, Amber dried her hands and came over to where Raph stood. Gently unwrapping the bundle, she was surprised at what she found. A pair of tonfa, beautifully carved from what looked like cherrywood, rested in her lap. She positioned them, enjoying the weight in her hands and the solid way they braced her forearms. Raphael had carved the entire side, all the way down, to look like a phoenix. A small switch on the side of the handle alerted her to the fact that there was a retractable blade. Amber smiled as Raph fidgeted.

"Thank you, Raphael, for such a special gift. I love them. Perhaps you would care to help me break them in properly later in the dojo?" Raph grinned.

"I'd like that. Love you, Mom."

Amber smiled. "I love you too, my son, my sweet little Raphael."

A/N: Awwww...


End file.
